The PDMA Handbook of New Product Development

22.1. Introduction

This chapter discusses the key factors involved in winning product review approval. The purpose of the chapter is to assist project leaders in ensuring that their projects have the best chance of winning approval and being taken from concept to prototype and into production. Whether the company uses a formal Stage-Gate® product development and release methodology, a less-formal product review committee, or an ad-hoc senior management review committee, all project leaders are required to prepare, present, and ultimately win approval for their projects. This chapter outlines the essential steps in a product review approval process, including a checklist of steps necessary to successfully complete a product review process, critical success factors, and pitfalls to avoid. The reader should come away with not only a detailed understanding of the "hard" criteria needed to conduct a successful product review process (see Chapter 21), but also an understanding of the "soft" skills (see Chapter 10) needed to guide a new product development process from concept into production.